DID JESUS BREAK THE SABBATH? Matthew 12:6-8 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

If we read the prior verses we will see that the Pharisees were condemning Christ for how he and his disciples were keeping Sabbath. They had walked by a field of grain, and some of the disciples had reached and plucked a few oats and ate it. Which was lawful according to Deuteronomy 23:25. But was contrary to the traditions of the Pharisees.

Oh how sad it is to hear men stand behind a pulpit and say that Christ broke the Sabbath! That he did not hallow it, and rest from worldly labors on that day! When the precious Lord said himself that he had “Kept his Father’s commandments, and had always done those things that please him” (John 15:10, John 8:29).

Jesus, as a Jew, was born under the Law and if Jesus had profaned the Sabbath, then he would have broke the Father’s commandments, and he would of sinned! (1st John 3:4). And if he sinned, we would not have a sinless Savior to die in our stead! How dreadful is such a doctrine that says Christ broke his Father’s Sabbath.

How does the bible describe the Father’s commandments? Psalms 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

The law of GOD is perfect, Paul said the law was holy, just and good. If the law is these things, then those who are contrary to it, who break these commandments are not; and my friends we are not; we have all come short of the glory of God, we all have transgressed that perfect law; but thank GOD, that Christ did not, he was perfect, holy, just and good! If he was not then he could not have died my sacrifice, and he could not today be my mediator. So please do not let any man tell you that the Good Lord broke the Sabbath, for if he did, he could not save us!

LORD OF THE SABBATH DAY

Now think about those words my friends. Jesus told the Pharisees who were condemning him for breaking their Sabbath traditions, that he was the Lord of the Sabbath. Is our Savior a good Lord? Amen he definitely is! Would a good Lord profane and tear down his subjects? By no means, Christ was not abolishing the Sabbath, but he was casting to the side the gross and weights of evil traditions from his blessed Sabbath, he was setting it free, and making it honorable again (Isaiah 42:21).

You see the Pharisees in their attempts to ‘protect’ the Sabbath, buried it beneath a load of burdens. And the day lost its true meaning.

Matthew 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

You could imagine the dread that was upon the people as the 7th Day approached because of these legalistic people. You know the Pharisees taught it was wrong to carry a handkerchief outside your home on the Sabbath? If you had to have one you had to pin it to your robe. If your chicken laid an egg on Sabbath, you had to put it to death. The sick had to be ignored, they could not be cared for on the Sabbath. Oh how these men made the holy Sabbath such a burden! But that is not what the Lord intended for the Sabbath.

What is the Sabbath suppose to be for men? Isaiah 58:13-14 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

In Genesis one we see a brief description of creation. It describes the 6 days, and what was created during each day. But I want you to notice who is at work.

Genesis 1:1-3 ¶ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

In the beginning, was GOD. He was there, and his Spirit was there. God wrought creation with his Spirit (Job 26:13). But do you know who else was there?

John 1:1-3,14 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The bible tells us that the WORD, which is the pre-incarnate Son of GOD, was with GOD and GOD created all things through him (Ephesians 3:9). So you have the Father, the Son and the holy Spirit all active during the six days of creation.

What did God and his Son do on the Seventh day? Genesis 2:1-3 ¶ Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

If God rested from Creation, then Jesus rested from creation, since all of creation came through him. Is there any wonder Jesus called the Sabbath his? Is there any wonder he declared his Lordship over the Sabbath? Why it was he and his Father who had first rested on the Sabbath and enjoyed the personal fellowship with his creation. When we think about creation we should remember our Creator, we should remember the Father and the Son.

SABBATH CANNOT BE CHANGED

Did you know that the Sabbath is the only day that the Father and Son ever declare as theirs? As their holy Day? The Sabbath is an anniversary. It commemorates their finished work of Creation. My wife and I celebrate our wedding anniversary on July the 9th. Every year we remember the day we said “I DO”. Can anyone say, “I am moving your anniversary to December the 3rd” and actually do it? Of course not, our anniversary is a part of history, and it cannot be changed. In the same way the Sabbath is a part of God’s history, it is a part of creation history and it cannot be moved.
Men who say that Christ a transferred the Solemnity of it to Sunday are teaching a false doctrine.

So here is the Truth: Christ did not break the Sabbath and Sunday is not the Sabbath. You may celebrate the Resurrection of Christ on Sunday, and call it the Lord's Day if you please, but be it known unto you it is not the Sabbath Day!